Note that these titles aren’t coming from either Columbia Pictures, United International Pictures, or any Hollywood bigshot.

They are films produced and directed by Filipinos under the banner of TBA Studios, which held its grand launch sometime back at EDSA Shangri-La Hotel.

It’s safe to concur that with this flood of foreign-sounding films, English titles have become the trend, the rule more than the exception, in Filipino filmmaking. Movie bookers claim this is being done in an effort to reach a wider, international market.

TBA Studios executive producers E.A. Rocha and Fernando Ortigas announced that the company has formed a strategic partnership with Globe Telecom, with whom it is co-producing a big-budget historical film, “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral.” Topbilled by Paulo Avelino, it is about the only film in the TBA line-up carrying a Tagalog title.

Globe is also providing marketing support to TBA-produced films.

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HOME OF QUALITY FILMS: TBA Studios is the independent film company behind such acclaimed movies as the blockbuster “Heneral Luna,” the Urian-winning and MMFF best picture “Sunday Beauty Queen,” “I’m Drunk, I Love You,” and “Bliss.”

Some of the exciting film projects unveiled by TBA Studios include Carlo Obispo’s “1–2–3,” a gripping family drama, which opened the 12th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and “Women Of The Weeping River,” which took home top prizes in the recently concluded 40th Gawad Urian Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Mindanaoan filmmaker Sheron Dayoc.

Another highly anticipated project is the chilling crime thriller “Smaller And Smaller Circles” directed by Raya Martin, based on the bestselling novel of F.H. Batacan.

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EXPANDING MOVIE PLATFORMS: TBA Studios also confirmed that the film adaptation of the popular graphic novel “The Mythology Class” is already in development. Its creator Arnold Arre and director Jerrold Tarog who would helm the project made the official announcement.

Aside from producing quality films the company continues to expand its reach and scope by creating various distribution platforms that will promote and enrich the local movie industry. In 2016, the company launched Cinetropa, a Filipino-movie streaming site created exclusively to give Filipino films more exposure on a global scale, and Cinema ’76, a micro-cinema dedicated solely to regularly playing independent films.

With the success of Cinema ’76 (located on Luna Mencias St., San Juan), Vincent Nebrida, TBA President and Cinema ’76 co-founder, announced that the popular micro-cinema will open a new and bigger branch very soon.

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PRIVATE MATTER GONE PUBLIC: What people do in private is none of other people’s business.

It’s just unfortunate that one such moment in the life of John Lloyd Cruz (JLC) has been videotaped and posted on social media. The video shows him seemingly drunk and wasted while vacationing in Cebu. He is being attended to by his rumored girlfriend, Ellen Adarna.

People have been quick to bash/chastise the veteran actor for his behavior. What behavior? If JLC likes to drink on his downtime, with a few close friends, who are we to stop him?

We are not his parents. He can do as he pleases for as long as he doesn’t harm anyone. In this case, maybe he has, possibly his endorsements. But that’s for his management to resolve and for the actor to make amends over. That’s his lookout and ultimately, responsibility.

What any person does in private is his own business, and no one else’s. The oversight lies on the person who maliciously posted the video as if he or she had the national interest in mind when he or she did the posting. Or did he or she think the country’s security was at risk because of John Lloyd Cruz’s drinking?

If anything, the video shows John Lloyd, despite his celebrity and all that, is as human, as vulnerable as the next person. He’s got warts and all, given to drinking, partying, enjoying himself.

It’s a good thing the actor has quickly apologized for the viral video. He’s been a gentleman in owning up to the “crime,” saying sorry to “babies and boys” who might have seen it or got offended by it.